Jenson Street
by nowcomesthemystery
Summary: Blaine lives in an isolated community with no connection to the outside world. That is until a new kid moves to Jenson and teaches Blaine about the outside. The problem is, that's illegal in Jenson.
1. Introduction

Blaine tried desperately to avoid falling into the same endless routine that everyone else seemed to. If one would come to the ten-mile long street known as Jenson Avenue, they would be greeted by an iron gate with a security guard checking to make sure you weren't going to harm the perfection of the community. Once through the gate, hundreds of houses, not particularly large or small, lined both sides of the avenue. Each was marked with a number and a color, but other than that there wasn't much variety. Blaine Samuel Anderson lived in house 231 with a green stripe. He was 17, only a year away from finding out what his occupation would be for the rest of his life. While walking, the thought crossed his mind. Blaine sighed. It wasn't in his best interest to do a tedious job until he aged and retired at 74. However, that was the future of him and all his classmates, along with their parents and their parent's parents. The concept of assigning people their job has been around for centuries.

Blaine had to explain the process many times to his sister so he knew it just as well as the person who created the system. First, a group of people who have been doing this same job for years would look through the report card of a particular person. Then they would sort them by the student's best subject. Blaine already knew his was Science, even though he only had a B+. Next, more specialists would decide which branch of the profession that individual was sorted in. Finally, they would randomly place people in the positions that were available.

Blaine arrived to his house only to find his parents arguing. That was typical in house 231

It was hard to have Blaine's family. His parents were complete opposites and arguments were common. He was positive that if it were possible, they would end their marriage. His mother had told him that outside of places like Jenson, people do that. She was born somewhere outside, way past anywhere anyone here had been. Blaine still didn't know how she ended up in Jenson but somehow, her 24 year old self ended up meeting his dad in the Cafeteria. When Blaine thought it through, it actually made sense considering that the Cafeteria is the only place to eat on the entire grounds. They got married and were forced to have Blaine two years later. By the time Blaine turned 8, both his parents assumed that their family was done growing until one day, the family was in the cafeteria eating dinner when the head of Jenson approached them. Blaine remembered that night clearly.

"Hello James." He said to Blaine's dad. The head was a big, bulky man and he was definitely intimidating at first.

"Hello." James nodded in response. By now, Blaine, who was only 8 at the time understood that this was a serious conversation.

"We need to ask your family a favor." He clasped his hands together as he spoke. James shot Addie, Blaine's mother, a look.

"Do share please." Blaine's father insisted.

"We need your family to produce again." He said, plainly. Blaine looked up at his mother. She wrapped her arm around him for comfort.

"Have another child?" James asked, just to clarify. His voice was clam, the opposite of the expression on Addie's face.

"Yes sir." The head replied. He rarely called people sir but Blaine's father was pretty important in the community. James looked over at his wife who nodded in agreement. Blaine never understood the telepathic connection they had but it had always amazed him.

"Alright." James smiled and then turned back to face his family. Blaine's mother and father continued a conversation as if the Head had never come over. All Blaine could think about for the rest of the evening was what it would be like to have a younger sibling. Most families had two kids so Blaine felt lucky to be an only child. It wasn't until later that night that Blaine had learned that his parents just wanted to avoid worrying Blaine and saved their real conversation for that night when they thought Blaine was asleep.

He crawled and stood next to the banister for the stairs linking the floors. Below, his father was speaking with haste towards his mother. Again, not unusual.

"Addie. I know you don't want to do it but if you want to stay here, in this house, with THAT boy…" James pointed up towards Blaine's room. "…Then I suggest you do as I say." He sighed and looked at his wife. When she spoke, her voice was weak but she stood her ground.

"Fine." She said, not with a tone of defeat but of acceptance. And that became the story of how Tenny Julia Anderson came into house number 231.

The night before Blaine's final year of education, the family sat for a dinner together. He helped his sister cut her meat and poured her water. She thanked him, and then grabbed her knife awkwardly, stuffing the food into her mouth. James looked at her with disgust while Addie smiled. There was silence for a few moments until finally, James spoke.

"Do well this year, okay Blaine?" He said, almost as if it was a threat. Blaine had always been scared of his father but especially when that tone began a conversation. He simply nodded his head in response, reassuring his father that he would. There wasn't much else he could do. Even with all the restrictions, teenagers still seemed to find rebellious ways to break the rules. Of course you needed friends for this, which Blaine didn't have. He used to though.

It's a story Blaine avoiding thinking about. Back when he was 14, he realized that he was different than his classmates. They began talking about who they planned on marrying, examining the girls and choosing their top three. One of them, Blaine couldn't remember who, asked him what his top three were. Blaine sighed and explained that he didn't picture any of them his spouse. Everyone turned, appalled by his statement. In they end, they walked away hating Blaine and he walked away with bruises and cuts. When he got home that evening, his father wasn't there. Luckily, he was on a business trip to another community and wouldn't be back for a week. This gave Blaine's injuries time to approve, which meant he didn't have to explain anything to him.

"What happened to your eye?" his mother had asked. Blaine explained in full detail everything. He mentioned the conversation while his mom just nodded, hand on her chin.

"You know that people back where I'm from there are boys who like boys and girls who like girls." She said, smiling. Blaine looked astonished, not distraught, just astonished.

"Really?" He asked, amazed with such a different lifestyle.

"Yes sir." She laughed at her son's interest. Blaine didn't even wonder why she had brought it up. "Now go relax, you look horrible." She winked and then went to tend to Tenny, who was 6 at the time yet, a handful.

After that incident, Blaine was sure that he was one of the people his mom had mentioned. He never told anyone though, not even his mom. It had explained so much to him though, all these thoughts he's had through the years. Although it was scary being different, he was happy that he knew who he was. The bad thing about living in Jenson, or anywhere similar, is that you can't even be yourself. Blaine knew that too well. He'd spent 6 months in a juvenile prison once for singing. That's what his mom called it. She had taught him and he began making up singing things for himself. There was this place behind the cafeteria that was completely secluded and Blaine could go there and sing. He'd sung for his mother once (of course his father wasn't home) and she clapped saying it was amazing. When he was caught though, they said that if they caught him again, it would be worse than jail. This was enough to scare Blaine and he never made the singing noise again.

These two stories suddenly became completely relevant in Blaine's future because he would be stuck in a job that's not nearly as good as singing and he would have to choose a spouse (not somebody he would ever love, not that it mattered to anyone). He almost hoped that this last year of school never ended, just so he could avoid his future.


	2. GumBoy

The beeping sound of an alarm clock rang next to Blaine's ear. He rolled out of bed, bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. He painfully picked out his uniform for school. All students were required to wear one. It was the same gray as the houses, matching the theme of the rest of the community. _One more year Blaine, you can do this._ He thought to himself. This nearly comforted him until he realized the dreading future he was to have. Then he changed his thought process. _Make it last._

As he walked down the steps, his father was leaving just before him.

"Bye." Blaine called, just to be polite. His father just slammed the door behind him and walked out. Blaine sighed. It was worth a shot. He looked at his wristwatch. Not enough time to make it to the cafeteria for breakfast. And so Blaine walked to school with his head down, counting his steps and watching his laces bounce with each one. Once he'd had finally made it to the schoolyard, he saw students gathering for the opening assembly. With little energy, he followed. Blaine finally looked up from his feet at the full gymnasium. He saw familiar faces of his old friends and teachers. The only reason the school used the gym anymore was for assemblies. They used to offer sports but the head canceled it because it was too violent. That had upset Blaine because he always had a good catch for football. When he was little. He'd always dreamed of being Quarterback and it could have made him more popular too.

There were no open seats by the entrance so Blaine made his way across the room. Half way through, he felt something hit his head. He turned and saw some boys throwing gum (Already chewed) at him. When they saw the sorrow on his face, they burst into laughter. If the community needed to be so perfect, why did they never do anything to protect those few students who are bullied? Blaine ran to the bathroom, wetting his dark curls attempting to get the gum out. He heard a flush come from one of the stalls. Through the mirror, Blaine looked to see who emerged. He was looking for someone he knew but an unfamiliar face appeared. The boy looked about his age. His skin was pale and his eyes were the brightest green/blue Blaine had ever witnessed. _Great first impression_ Blaine thought. This new kid would probably know him as "gum boy". To Blaine's surprised he spoke.

"Peanut Butter." He simply said as he squirted the artificially scented strawberry soap into his soft palm. Blaine looked at the boy. Now they he was getting a better look, Blaine could tell that he was something special.

"What?" Blaine replied, half because he didn't understand what he said and half because he just wanted to hear his voice again.

"Peanut Butter. It will get the gum out of your hair." He smiled. "I know from experience." Blaine let out a soft laugh.

"Unfortunately, I don't have any peanut butter." Blaine said, smiling even though he shouldn't be. Not with gum in his hair. The boy shrugged but then he jolted up.

"Wait a second!" He exclaimed shaking his hands instead of drying them. "I might..." He paused, looking through his bag. "…Have a peanut butter sandwich for lunch." He rummaged through the bag while Blaine stood helplessly with his hand in his hair.

"You pack your lunch? But where do you get the foo-" Blaine couldn't finish his sentence before the boy answered.

"I just got to Jenson two days ago. I came from the REAL world. You know, where they have freedom and individuality." Blaine could tell the boy had a strong opinion. He couldn't help but wonder why he came here anyway. "Anyway…" He said, getting back on the topic. "… I brought the food when I came in. Well I smuggled it but that can be our secret." He winked at Blaine. "I thought the food might be gross so I came prepared. I mean, I only have enough for a few weeks but I'll savor it." Right when he finished speaking, the announcer came on.

"STUDENTS, STUDENTS, STUDENTS! WELCOME… OR WELCOME BACK TO JENSON SCHOOL Of EDUCATION." The boy whispered as if the announcer could hear him.

"No, what is it? The international school of pancakes." He laughed at his own sarcasm. Blaine figured he was talking to himself since he had no idea why the school he spoke of had international pancakes but he laughed just because this stranger had said it.

"PLEASE PROCEED TO THE GYM WITHIN THE NEXT 5 MINUTES TO AVOID CONCEQUENCES! THANK YOU!" A beep signaled the end of the announcement.

"Ooh, Harsh." The boy said mocking the threat as he pulled a plastic bag out of his bag. "Aha!" He shouted. Blaine laughed awkwardly.

"They're serious though. We should get there in 5 minutes, trust me." Blaine warned him. The boy looked up at his hair and stepped closer so he could rub the peanut butter on the gum.

"Why should I trust you? I just met you." He smiled but Blaine couldn't see because his head was under the faucet. No one spoke for a minute as the other boy tried desperately to get each and every piece of the gum out of his hair.

"OW!" Blaine screeched. The other boy apologized and then turned the water off. He wiped his hands together with accomplishment.

"Tada!" Blaine ran his fingers through his hair.

"Thanks. I'm Blaine." He held a wet hand out.

"Kurt." He smiled and shook his hand. "Shit." Kurt cursed when he looked at his watch. "Let's GO!" He began sprinting to the gym. Just as the door shut behind them, the bell signaling the start of assembly rang. Blaine wiped the sweat away from his forehead. He found a seat in the far corner of the bleachers. Kurt however, being new was instructed to sit by the podium so he could be announced. Blaine smiled at him when he looked to the edge of the gym. Kurt gave him a little wave back.

Not long after Blaine had sat down, the head began his annual speech outlining any new rules, etc. Most students dosed off through this because it was simply the most boring speech that any person has ever written and/or given. Once he finished his last sentence, the gym clapped slowly for most of the kids were waking up from a nap.

Next up was the student body president. President wasn't really an accurate term considering there were no candidates or elections or anything. The teachers chose each year so it ended up being someone insanely smart or a teacher's pet. Again, no one paid much attention during this speech. Blaine looked around the gym at everyone in their plain, boring, gray uniforms. He saw two little kids being taken out of the gym, probably for discipline. He saw another boy, crying with a cut on his face. Blaine looked with a pitiful face to the little boy. Another student was helping him put the band-aid on his cheek. She laughed and made jokes to him, getting the hurt boy to smile. Then Blaine turned his attention towards his own grade. Two guys were pulling another one's hair. The boy was begging them to stop and I'm sure his fate would have been worse if it wasn't assembly right now. Blaine could picture the bullies being pulled out of assembly ten years ago and getting disciplined but it hadn't done much. The punishment in Jenson seemed corrupt but maybe that's because the whole point is to avoid any need for punishment. Still it happened, but usually it stopped after high school. _The only good thing about anything after this year._ Blaine thought to himself. Before he knew it, the "president" had finished his speech and the gym was filled with the quiet clapping of few students and proud teachers.

Next was the last and most interesting part of first assembly: Student Introductions. They started from the youngest kids and proceeded to the oldest. The announced the whole Kindergarten together since they were all new and continued. Once you got to year 6, a speech was necessary for your introduction. Well, it wasn't a speech since it had to be 5 sentences, no more and no less.

Blaine listened to the 5 sentences about each person. Most of them were the same though and he ended up loosing interest. Finally, they had gotten to year 11 and Blaine brought his attention back to the podium. There was only one new person in year 12, and that was Kurt. Blaine straightened his posture and fixed his hair, which was still wet from the cleansing. While Kurt made his way to the podium, Blaine watched him as he walked. There was such a grace to him as he took each step. Somehow, he made the horrid uniform look good.

Once at the podium, Kurt cleared his throat, re-adjusted his gray cap and pulled a note card out from his back pocket. Blaine sat eagerly for him to begin.

"Hello students." Sentence one; Blaine was disappointed that he would waste one of his sentences on that.

"You are most likely incredibly bored at the moment." Sentence two; Blaine sighed at another useless sentence. He wanted to learn more about Kurt. Unlike Blaine, others let out a short laugh at his obvious statement.

"Instead of increasing your already prevalent boredom, I wrote a poem." Sentence three; Blaine lips curved into a smile. A poem would be interesting.

"Hi, My name is Kurt

Kurt Elizabeth Hummel

It's nice to meet you"

He finished his haiku and did a curtsy. The gym burst into laughter. They weren't laughing at Kurt's "descriptive" poem either. They were laughing at Kurt. Right as he was about to sit down, someone shouted.

"THAT WAS SIX SENTENCES." The head tried desperately to shush the room and eventually, they did quiet, waiting for Kurt's answer. He seemed untouched by the horrid behavior towards him. Blaine was astonished.

"No, it wasn't." He contradicted. "I said three sentences before my poem and there were only two sentences in my poem. One was a phrase." He flipped his bangs away from his face and sat down, legs crossed. The head, trying to put an end the commotion, spoke into the microphone.

"STUDENTS, STUDENTS! EVERYONE QUIET DOWN!" He gave Kurt a dirty look signaling, "We don't appreciate what you just did, however you didn't break an policies but watch out."

Each student was assigned a room to pick up their schedules and locker numbers. Blaine was in the same room with Kurt he and could only hope their lockers were nearby. He decided to wait so they could walk over together.

"Nice job up there." Blaine congratulated him as Kurt came closer. He stood up and slung his backpack across his shoulder.

"Thanks. Assholes, huh?" Kurt said, smiling at Blaine. "Glad to see that nasty gum's gone. How'd you get it up there anyway?" They both laughed at the immature reference. Once Blaine had stopped laughing, he answered.

"Uh, those guys…" Blaine pointed. Kurt nodded; he could tell Blaine was embarrassed.

"I got taunted a lot at my old school. Way worse than what happened today in assembly, that was child's play." Kurt explained. Blaine nodded.

"They're pretty mean here too. I've gotten a fair share of black eyes, not that I've done anything wrong though. They're just mean." He reassured. Blaine couldn't believe that Kurt had been bullied before, he just seemed so flawless. It was like there couldn't be a mistake with him. Once they both had picked up their schedules, Kurt compared them.

"We have a lot of classes together. That's good." He laughed a little.

"Hey, what's your locker number?" Blaine asked.

"142. You?"

"144!" Blaine was ecstatic. He felt especially sorry for the person who would be between them.

"Looks like it's going to be a good year." Kurt stated. Blaine nodded (again) and they walked over to their new lockers. Kurt hid his lunch under his coat so no one passing by would see. No one had claimed locker 143 yet and Blaine had almost forgotten it was there. He was too blinded by his joy of being by Kurt. Finally someone interesting had come to Jenson and he was going to make sure that he was able to learn something from him. However, just a few minutes later, a bulky boy, at least six foot, 5 inches came to the locker. Blaine recognized him immediately. He kicked Blaine's backpack out of the way and shoved his bag in. Kurt looked behind the owner of 143's back and pointed a fake gun to his head. Blaine laughed and the enormous person turned towards Blaine.

"What are you laughing at?" He asked, spitting while he spoke.

"Nothing. Sorry Ed." Blaine apologized while he wiped his face with his sleeve.

"Why are you apologizing Blaine? You didn't do anything wrong." Kurt stated, talking more to the mountain of a person than Blaine. He turned to face Kurt.

"Don't get smart with me." He threatened. Blaine was nervous for Kurt. He tried to tell him to stop but Kurt ignored his signs.

"It will be kind of hard, considering a three year old could get smart with you." Kurt sassed back. Blaine quenched with fear for Kurt, waiting to see him fall to the floor. Instead though, the bully turned away, his face hid in shame. Apparently Kurt had hit a soft spot.

"Kurt." He said, holding his hand out. It was the same introduction he had used on a Blaine. A signature thing, he assumed. Ed looked at Kurt's face and then his hand. He grabbed Kurt's wrist, preventing any movement. Then his spit in his hand, which made it soaking wet. He shook Kurt's hand and then pushed Kurt's (now soaking wet) hand into his face. He laughed and walked away. Blaine stood in his locker, horrified. He ran after Ed.

"GET BACK HERE!" Blaine screamed as he jumped onto Ed's back and began wrestling with him. Ed easily resisted his pathetic attempts and rammed Blaine into a locker. Blaine lost his grip with the force and Ed walked away, unharmed. The entire hallway stared at Blaine who lied on the ground. Kurt ran over from his locker to help Blaine up. Once he was on his feet, people got back to their normal business. Kurt assisted him as they limped over to the 140s. Kurt threw away the towel he was using to wipe his face and hands.

"You okay?" Kurt asked, sympathetically. He knew that Blaine did it for him.

"Yeah, yeah." Blaine lied. His back ached and he could barely walk.

"You shouldn't have done that. It didn't bother me that much." Kurt said. He felt bad.

"I would have done it for anyone, it's okay." Blaine lied. He wouldn't even do that for anyone unless he was Kurt. Slowly and painfully, he stood up and got his books for the morning.

"You're pretty cool Blaine. Ready?" Kurt asked and Blaine nodded. At least he had Kurt.


	3. Secluded

The morning went by slowly, as did most school days. Since it was the first day, many papers were handed out. Blaine carelessly shoved them into his bag while Kurt filed them by subject. By the end of their fourth class, everybody was waiting for the bell to ring and when it did, students flooded the halls like a tsunami. Blaine, as usual, was the last to leave the classroom. He walked through the halls quickly to avoid any confrontation. Soon enough he was at his locker and Kurt was at his.

"What's for lunch?" Kurt asked, probably wondering if he should eat his lunch.

"Meatloaf." Blaine pretended to gag. Kurt laughed.

"Looks like a peanut butter kind of day." Kurt laughed and grabbed his coat, lunch wrapped inside. "Now since you've been here for a while, where can I eat this?" He asked, patting the coat. Blaine smiled because he knew exactly where to go. They walked with the rest of the kids towards the cafeteria but instead of heading in, Blaine guided Kurt around to the back. They reached the edge of the woods.

"Before the wall surrounded Jenson, there's this little clearing between the trees. This way." He motioned for Kurt to follow him as he trudged through the branches and roots between the trunks. He stopped in a clearing with a few rocks in the middle. There was a stream just a few meters over. Blaine climbed the highest one. He put his hand over his forehead and made a slow, 360-degree turn around and faced Kurt again.

"Marvelous discovery, am I correct Kurtteth The Magnificent?" Blaine said in a horrible accent. Kurt busted out into laughter but Blaine waited for him to stop, staying in his previous position. Kurt dropped his bag and stood on a nearby rock.

"You are indeed quite correct Blaine The Brave." he replied, hands on his hips. Blaine could almost feel his heart ache when Kurt said he was brave. It was the opposite of what his father always told him. As he remembered his father yelling at him, Blaine's posture sank, being lost in his own past.

"You okay?" Kurt asked, concerned with his quick change of attitude.

"Yup, sorry." Blaine answered, shaking his head to get back into the present. "Let's eat!" He exclaimed. Blaine realized he didn't have any food and was about to go to grab some from the cafeteria but before he spoke, Kurt threw half a sandwich on his lap.

"Merry Christmas." He joked. Blaine looked confusion. Let it be said that there is no religion in Jenson. Kurt realized that Blaine had no idea what the hell he was talking about and told him to forget it.

For a little, the boys sat in peaceful quiet. Blaine was content just to be sitting with Kurt by his side. Finally, Kurt broke the silence.

"Is it good?" Kurt asked, trying to spark a conversation.

"Of course it's good. It's Peanut Butter, why wouldn't it be?" Blaine smiled and stuffed the last bit of his sandwich in his mouth. Kurt nodded in agreement.

"How'd you find out about this place anyway? It's so…. Secluded." Kurt looked around. He described it just like Blaine did, secluded.

"Hold on. Hold on." Blaine said, putting his hands up, motioning to stop. "Why do you get to ask so many questions? MY turn." He pointed towards himself. Kurt zipped his lips and gave Blaine the imaginary key. He slipped it in his pocket. "My question is; why did you come to Jenson anyway?" Blaine asked. He put his elbows on his knees. Kurt didn't speak though. He pointed to his lips, making weird noises. Eventually Blaine understood. He pulled the key from his back pocket and ran his finger along Kurt's lips to unzip them.

"THANK YOU!" He exclaimed. Kurt licked his lips. "Peanut Buttery." Blaine laughed but then his smile faded.

"Answer. The. Question." His voice was serious.

"Whoa, calm down." Kurt joked. Blaine glared. "Okay, I'll answer. Jesus!" He laughed. "So my mom died when I was 6 and I mean, me and my dad got along well enough. We had enough and I had money for college next year and everything. My dad was sick but he was getting better. And then the next day he wasn't." Kurt's voice cracked while Blaine sat up, his eyes staring into Kurt's which were on the verge of tears. "He died a month ago… and I was alone." A single tear rolled down Kurt's cheek, it was alone like him. He sucked in his breath and continued. "I have an aunt here and she's the person I'm supposed to live with. I'm only here for a year though. I assure you that I'll be out of here fast." He looked down at the ground and then up at Blaine who had never stopped looking at Kurt. His presence made a smile appear on Kurt's face.

"I'm so sorry Kurt, I shouldn't have asked and I just… that was so mean and…" Blaine mumbled many apologies but Kurt shushed him.

"Blaine, it's okay. I feel better now." He bounced up and walked around the clearing once. When he reached where Blaine was sitting again, he offered him a hand. "Ready to go?" He asked and Blaine grabbed his hand. He really wasn't though. Blaine wanted to stay under the tree canopy eating sandwiches and role-playing with Kurt for hours, days. He finally felt happy and good about something he's doing.

For the rest of the afternoon, Blaine sat through tedious introduction to his last few classes and when the bell rang at the end of the day, it was extremely satisfying to finally be done. He walked to his locker, avoiding any enemy encounters and grabbed his backpack. Kurt was finishing packing his things.

"We have to eat lunch there again." Blaine said as he waited for Kurt to finish.

"Sure." Kurt answered, slamming his locker. They began walking together.

"What house do you live in?" Blaine asked, hoping he could go over. As much as he didn't want to be at school, he didn't want to be at home either.

"411. Blue stripe." Kurt answered. "Do you want to come hang out?" Kurt asked. Inside his head, Blaine high-fived his conscience.

"Today?" He asked, maybe Blaine would win again.

"If you want to." Kurt pointed to a house, just like the others. "It's that one."

"Awesome. Let me just use the phone to call my house and leave a message." Blaine ran over to the public phone and dialed his house number. No one picked up, as expected. He left a message about how he was at a friend's and he'd be home before curfew.

"Let's go!" Kurt began skipping towards his building while Blaine walked behind, embarrassed but laughing.

Kurt pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He held it and motioned for Blaine to go inside. Once inside, Blaine lightly put his bag on the floor and untied his shoes placing them next to his bag. He then walked into the living room. It looked just like the other houses in the area, well it had to.

"Nice places, eh?" Kurt said sarcastically. Blaine smiled a half-smile and agreed. "My aunt's so old that she wouldn't bother making it look any better even if she was allowed to. My room, however, that is a completely different story." Kurt proudly stated.

"You've been here for two days." Blaine reminded him. He knew Kurt could be capable of a lot in that time frame though. He simply shrugged at Blaine.

"What can I say? I'm talented." He smirked and leaned against a wall.

"Well why don't we go check it out?" Blaine persuaded. He didn't feel like he needed an invitation and walked straight up the steps into the room.

It was the same size as Blaine's room and had the same awkward shaping but if one didn't know better, they wouldn't have any resemblance at all.

"Holy Guacamole!" Blaine exclaimed when he walked into the room. It was so…so… colorful. There were posters all over the walls of people he'd never heard of. There was a plethora of clothing scattered throughout the floor and on tables. The carpet was a bright green color, which matched the bed sheets. Along one wall, were hundreds of books with worn out spines.

"I know, I know... it's a little messy." Kurt began picking up clothing and stuffing it in the closet.

"No! It gives it character!" Blaine complimented.

"Alright, what ever you say." Kurt sat on the edge of the bed.

"Who are these people?" Blaine asked, pointing to the posters.

"Singers, actors, famous people." Kurt answered. _Singers_. Blaine thought. _**Sing**__ers. As in singing._

"Do singers sing?" Blaine asked, his voice sounding very high, like a child.

"Of course Blaine." Kurt laughed. "I'm surprised you know what singing is."

"Oh, well I was in jail for it." He responded.

"Really? Jail. That's so hard core." Kurt laughed again.

"It's a pretty nasty crime here. My mom, she came from the outside… like you. Well, she was the one who taught me what it is. I even learned to do it a little. Not with words or anything but I made up little sounds and I would hum them…. Until I got caught." Blaine sighed, remembering the six months he was punished for it.

"Hmmm…" Kurt nodded. "Have you ever heard music?" Blaine shook his head. Kurt grabbed some boxes from under his bed. "Voila!" Kurt modeled the boxes full of plastic cases.

"What's that?" Blaine asked, not sure what was so amazing and why Kurt had so many.

"CDs. They play people singing." He explained. "Just listen. This is from a musical. It's like a movie with music in it but they act the movie on stage." He continued while popping a CD labeled **Wicked** into a box.

"Acting? Like pretending?" Blaine asked, trying to understand this completely new concept.

"Exactly." Kurt pointed at him. "Now sit and enjoy." His voice trailed off as the music started. Kurt closed his eyes and put his hands on his crossed legs. Suddenly a girl's voice, singing, entered the room. Kurt swayed slowly to the music while Blaine sat awkwardly. He liked it though. Once the singing ended, it started again a few seconds later but Kurt stopped it.

"Did you like it?" Kurt asked, taking the CD out and putting it back in the cover, then the box and then sliding it under the bed. Blaine nodded.

"Yes…" He was quiet for a minute, and then he jumped up.

"Kurt! That was absolutely amazing! I can't believe we don't have that here. Oh I am coming everyday to hear that. KURT!" Blaine was so full of energy from the music.

"As much as I'd love you to come over everyday, you don't have to." Blaine looked at his friend very confused.

"What do you mean?" he ran a hand through his dark curls.

"Here." Kurt pulled yet another thing for the mess that is his room. Then he pulled up another. "It's a CD player with headphones and a CD." Kurt explained. Just open this and pop the CD in, you're good to go!" He smiled and handed the device to Blaine who read the CD.

"Katy Perry." He read aloud.

"Yep, she's definitely your style." He patted the CD cover.

"Wait... but don't you need these?" Blaine asked, holding them back for Kurt to take. He shook his hand.

"No, no! I have an MP3 player. All I do is put those CDs in my computer and then I put them on here." He held up a small, metal cylinder.

Blaine stayed at house number 411 for a little while longer but then decided to head home. After he waved goodbye to Kurt, he ran home so he could hear Katy Perry.

For months, Blaine would go over to Kurt's for a little after school and then head home to secretly listen to his CD behind his locked door.

On just another random day, Blaine reached his door. He quickly turned the key to avoid any extra time in he brisk January air. Once he walked inside, Blaine expected to be greeted by his mother, looking at the time. To his surprise, no one did. His father sat at the table reading the newspaper, his eyes red. It looked like he had cried, Blaine's dad never cried. Cautiously, Blaine set his bag down and walked over to the table and sat in the chair across from his father.

"Dad…" Blaine asked, his voice shaking. James put the paper down and walked to grab his keys and headed for the door. Blaine followed him. Neither of them said a word. Blaine got into the car and sat in the passenger seat. James started the engine and drove, staring straight ahead the whole time. They left the limits of Jenson and headed towards mom's work. Blaine rarely did go past those iron gates. About 10 minutes later, James pulled into the parking lot of a hospital. Blaine's heart sank.

"Mom" He whispered so it was only loud enough for him to hear. James got out of the car and slammed the door with force. He walked towards to entrance with Blaine following close behind. Once inside he said two words.

"Room 204." Then he went to sit on a chair in the waiting room. Blaine pressed the button for the elevator but grew impatient and ran up the steps. He walked so fast it was almost a run until he reached the room. After opening the door, the boy slid his back down the wall falling to the floor and collapsed in tears. He cried and cried and cried until there weren't any tears left. The sight before him was too much. It was his mother. Her deep brown eyes were motionless, staring up. Her arms lay lifelessly at her sides. The mouth she had once used to sing, but only to Blaine was shut, not to open again. Blaine saw a get well soon card on the table next to her. It was from his uncle… he must have stopped by before. In a rage, he ripped the card and threw the pieces out the window. Blaine fell to his knees and rested his head on his mother's chest, his tears wetting her hospital gown.

"SHE'S DEAD!" He shouted and right after a nurse came in. She checked for a pulse. Obviously, there wasn't one.

"Please wait in the lobby." She asked Blaine. He complied. Taking a seat next to his father, he saw his tears.

"She's dead. Why didn't you tell me she was DEAD?" His voice rose at his father for the first time in his life. James looked at his son and held his breath for a second.

"She's dead?" He asked, his voice cracking and it was obvious he was on the verge of tears. Blaine's anger turned to sorrow, just sorrow. He hugged his father and his father hugged back, an unusual gesture.

"What happened to her?" He asked the nurse when she came in to conform the death even though it was unnecessary.

"Car Crash. She was in critical condition but it seems right before your son walked in, she passed. I'm sorry." She turned away and went back to the main hospital.

"Let's go." James said as he got up.

"But what if they need us to…" Blaine was cut off.

"LET'S GO." James was already halfway out the door at this point and Blaine obeyed him.

The next week, neither Blaine nor Tenny went to school. Dad went to work though. There was no talk about a funeral and there never would be because there would never be one. James had left the job of telling Tenny to Blaine. It was a hard night for the Anderson family, that night. James returned to his usual behavior immediately though, almost as if nothing had happened.

The first day back at school, Tenny and Blaine walked together, hand in hand. He dropped her off at her building and kissed her head.

"I love you Tenny. Have fun." He waved at her and she smiled at him for the first time since that night. He couldn't help return the smile. Blaine arrived to Calculus right before it started and took his usual seat next to Kurt.

"I'm sorry." Kurt mouthed to Blaine. In return, he smiled. Kurt felt reassured that he would be okay. The topic would come back up in lunch that day.

They walked in silence towards the clearing. Once they sat down, Kurt spoke.

"I have experience so if you need anything from me, I'm here." Kurt tried to comfort Blaine. All he wanted to do though was avoid the subject. The only people other than Kurt that had noticed Blaine was gone for a week were Ed and his crew… the people you wish didn't care about you. Blaine just assumed they missed their punching bag. One just wasn't enough. Blaine felt a surge of guilt when he figured that they might not harass Kurt if it weren't for him, well not as much.

"Thanks Kurt but I'm oka-. Actually, you can help me out a little." Blaine's lips formed a devious smirk.

"Do tell."

"I want you to teach me how to sing." Blaine sat eagerly, waiting for Kurt's reaction.

"I never thought you would ask. Do Re Mi Fa Sol L-" Blaine shushed Kurt to a stop.

"Not here, this is where I got caught last time. Not the best place. We have to go somewhere else, completely sound proof." He said, wrapping his hand around his chin.

"Good point." The boys sat in silence for a minute, thinking. "I've got it!" Kurt exclaimed. Blaine looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Okay, so here's how it works…." Kurt took a deep breath. "My house is one of the safety zone houses. You know what that means right?"

"Not really…" Blaine couldn't figure out where he was going with this.

"It has a bomb shelter." Kurt stated.

"But that's not sound proof."

"Not yet." Kurt corrected. Blaine smiled at him. "Mattresses, we need mattresses."

"Mattresses?" Blaine questioned.

"They're soundproof." Blaine nodded with understanding and that was the start for their hunt of mattresses.


	4. Mattresses

There were two ways to get mattresses in Jenson, well legally. The first was to move into a house with a different size bed or receive a new bed that was different sized. The second was to have a broken mattress.

"Just take a knife and rip open your mattress, then I'll sew it together later." Kurt tried to reassure Blaine.

"But, aren't they going to wonder what the hell happened to my mattress?" Blaine wasn't going to do anything he'd regret later.

"You know what? I will do it for you." Kurt said, grabbing a pair of scissors from downstairs and ran upstairs. Blaine chased after him, pleading him to stop but Kurt had a head start.

"What. The. Fuck." Blaine swore with the risk of his sister hearing but this was an exception. If one had seen what he had, they would have the same reaction. "How did you do that in literally 10 seconds." _That_ was referring to fabric and fluff that lay where his mattress once had.

"Say you keep 20 bucks in there and someone must have found out because when you walked in your room, it was like this." Kurt explained the lie. Blaine shook his head.

"Nope, that's lying."

"Your point?" Kurt was still holding the scissors in his hand.

"1. Put those down and 2. I'm not going to lie." Blaine crossed his arms until Kurt set the pair of scissors on the night table. Then the porcelain skinned boy pulled out twenty dollars from his pocket and slipped it in the rubble. He walked outside. Blaine didn't follow him. A minute later he heard a pot crack out of his open window. Walking to investigate, he saw Kurt scaling the side of the building. At the top, Kurt reached an arm in and grabbed the twenty dollars he had set down earlier. Then he jumped down from the window and walked to the front door. Blaine heard the doorbell ring and his sister answer it.

"Hi Kurt!" She said happily. He greeted her and then walked upstairs.

"Oh my god Blaine! What happened to your mattress? We must get you a new one at once!" His voice was comical and over-exaggerated. Blaine sighed and figured if he wanted to sleep tonight then they should get a new one.

"Let's get a new one." Blaine said, taking a picture with his cell phone to show the department.

"Right away!" Kurt exclaimed with the same voice.

"Drop the voice." Blaine snapped.

"It's so happy though!" Kurt continued with the voice but stopped after seeing Blaine's death glare.

And so the boys walked to the department of housing and furniture. After an awkward explanation by Blaine with holes being filled in by Kurt, a new mattress arrived at Blaine's doorstep in half an hour, right before his dad did. Kurt rushed the new mattress upstairs so James wouldn't see it.

"Who's upstairs?" He asked once he got home. Kurt is graceful, but not when he's rushing.

"Oh, just Kurt." Blaine said right as Kurt walked down the steps. It was almost curfew and Blaine could tell his dad wasn't too happy.

"You should go home. It's late." James advised Kurt.

"Oh god! You're right." Kurt said, pretending to look at his wrist for the time. He began walking towards the door.

"Kurt! I forgot my Spanish book in your kitchen. Dad, could you write me a slip? I need it for my homework tonight." He looked at Blaine with disapproval but handed a slip of paper to him. It was one of the perks of your dad being important. They walked out of the house.

"See, you CAN lie." Kurt punched him playfully.

"Ugh, lying to him is no crime. He's too... useless." Blaine laughed a little too loud.

"Whatever." Kurt replied, ignoring his excuse.

"You need to come and fix my mattress, got it?" Blaine refused to leave that mess in his room after tomorrow.

"I will take care of it." Kurt reassured him.

"And now we have 2 mattresses?" Blaine asked.

"Three." Kurt corrected. "And we only needed four which means we only need one more."

"I'm not stupid Kurt." Kurt smiled. "And you can be in charge of getting that last mattress. I don't want anything to do with it." Blaine put his hands up.

"Fair enough. But remember I am doing this for you?" Kurt winked and then kept walking.

"Just think, soon we can sing whenever we want… as long as it's before curfew. It will be amazing, just amazing." Blaine spun around in a circle while Kurt unlocked the door. His sudden mood change was evident.

"Yup." He replied. "Well see you tomorrow Blainers." Kurt waved and almost shut the door.

"Wait!"

"What Blaine?" Kurt asked, a little annoyed.

"Give me your Spanish textbook." Blaine held his hand out.

"Why?"

"Do you want me to go back empty handed?" Blaine asked and sluggishly, Kurt grabbed his book and threw it at Blaine.

"Now I'm tired. Bye." And Kurt slammed the door.

The next day, Kurt came by and sewed the entire mattress. It would be an understatement to say Blaine was impressed. The day after that, Kurt wasn't at school. Blaine just shrugged it off and continued through his day though it was much more pointless than before. Later that night, Blaine was helping Tenny with math homework when a knock came from the door. There were 2 hours before his dad came home.

"Who is it?" His sister asked.

"I don't know. Hold on." Blaine walked slowly and stealthily towards the door.

"Oh just open up, it's me!" Blaine laughed and opened the door for Kurt.

"Hi Kurt!" Tenny greeted.

"Hey." He sent her a warming smile.

"I'll help you later?" Blaine offered to his sister. She nodded and the boys went upstairs.

"What brings you to ma casa?" Blaine asked, sitting on his bed.

"It's done. Well almost. I just need that." Kurt pointed to the mattress sitting on the ground.

"Really? Well let's go!" Blaine jumped off the bed.

"There's a problem." Kurt announced.

"What?" Blaine was already lifting up half the mattress.

"Alright. Go ahead and carry that mattress all the way to my house and explain to everyone who asks what we're doing with it." Kurt smiled. He knew he had outsmarted Blaine.

"Point has been made." Blaine laughed, dropping the mattress in defeat. "Let's just say… we could just pretend…. Maybe if we…" Blaine trailed off, starting thoughts but never finishing them.

"Mhmm, mhmmm. Oh yes!" Kurt mocked him.

"Funny." Blaine wasn't laughing.

"What if you carry it in the dark?" A high-pitched voice came from the doorway. Both boys turned.

"Tenny. I told you I would help you later. Go away." Blaine looked at her but she didn't move.

"No, no, no. She has a point." Kurt squatted to reach her eye level. He motioned her to continue.

"Like, if you waited until everyone was sleeping then no one would ask you questions because everyone's sleeping." Kurt smiled. He gave her a quick hug and she skipped away happily.

"Have I ever told you your sister is smarter than both of us?" Both boys laughed.

"You're going to be a good dad." Blaine spoke instead of thinking. Kurt gave him a weird look.

"Thanks…"

Blaine could feel his cheeks burning red. There was a moment of awkward silence. Finally, to Blaine's relief, Kurt spoke again.

"Wait."

_He would find another problem. _

"What this time Kurt?" Blaine put his hands on his hips playfully. Kurt couldn't help but laugh.

"The guards. They'll see us." Kurt sat on the bed as he spoke.

"True." Blaine agreed.

"That is a problem." Kurt pulled his neck back. He was frustrated.

"Why don't you go ask my genius sister?" Blaine joked. Kurt didn't laugh. He sat up again.

"It will be a lot easier to explain to two guards why we have a mattress, right?" Kurt reasoned.

"After curfew? Doubtful." Blaine began pacing. "Unless…"

"Your 'dad' would happen to give us permission." Kurt finished.

"Exactly." Blaine pointed at him. The boys looked at each other. They had a plan.


	5. The Hunt

"Does he have an extra credit card or something?"

The two boys rummaged through the drawers in James Anderson's room looking for some penmanship.

"My dad's going to be home in 30 minutes, we have to hurry." Blaine said, shutting the last drawer.

"Here you go." Tenny said, standing behind them. She was holding a group of papers. Kurt walked over and grabbed it. He took a look at it and smiled.

"Checkbook." He said to Blaine, still with a huge smile on his face. Then he turned to the girl that had helped them twice today. "Thanks again!" He told her. His voice was incredibly high-pitched when he said it and Blaine couldn't help but giggle from his seat on the bed.

Again, the girl happily skipped away.

"She's going to grow up into something good." Kurt stated once she was out of the room. Blaine nodded.

"Come on, we have some passes to forge." Blaine grabbed a pen and paper and the boys got to work.

On schedule, Blaine's father arrived half an hour later. Blaine told him Kurt was over; he made sure that Blaine knew Kurt had to get home before curfew. Meanwhile, Kurt finished the fake passes to be out past curfew that were falsely signed by one James Anderson.

"They look amazing." Blaine said as examined the fake passes from all angles.

"I know." Kurt replied smugly. His pride was justified though. The passes were flawless, identical copies.

"Alright. See you here in 4 hours." Blaine held up his fingers and handed Kurt his pass.

"Check." Kurt gave him thumbs up before walking out the door.

Three hours later, James said his goodnights to his children and walked to his room (which was on the first floor, thankfully for Blaine, especially tonight.) In the living room, Blaine finished the last of his homework and packed his backpack for tomorrow. He figured he'd want to sleep in the morning, not pack. Then he went upstairs to prepare for Kurt's arrival in an hour. There wasn't much to do, only to move the mattress and open the window.

As he waited, Blaine looked at the past couple months with Kurt. Before then, he'd only broken the rules once and didn't plan on it again. Now he was committing several violations in one night. Still, life was better with Kurt. He had a friend and Kurt had even said that he preferred Blaine to anyone in Jenson. Their friendship had become the bullies' worst enemy. Kurt had inspired Blaine and now he stood up to people, even if it meant poison ivy in his gym shorts. If Kurt could do it, so could he. Even more inspiring for Blaine was that Kurt had been bullied outside of Jenson too and yet he was able to come here and show those jerks off. That didn't stop the violence in any sense but there wasn't an easy stop to that and people just learned to face it.

Blaine's thoughts were disturbed when he heard a rock fall through the open window onto his floor. He jumped up and looked outside. It was Kurt. Well of course it was Kurt, who else would it be? Blaine pushed the mattress out the window and he followed.

After an awkward landing that was a lot more painful than expected, Blaine and Kurt picked up the mattress and began the walk.

"So what was your lie? I mean, like when they checked your pass?" Blaine asked Kurt right before he ran into a tree. It was hard to see, that's for sure.

"My mattress broke this evening and they can't replace until tomorrow. We have a calculus test tomorrow and your dad insisted to take one of yours because I deserved a good night's sleep." Kurt smiled arrogantly at his lie. Blaine thought it through.

"Good job Kurt." He congratulated. Suddenly, the light of a flashlight broke the darkness and shone on the boys. The guard waved at Kurt and then pointed the light at Blaine.

"Why is he with you?" His voice was deep and threatening. Kurt seemed to have expected this because his reply tied in perfectly to his previous lie.

"Oh, well he was the one who gave me the mattress when I rang the doorbell. He was studying for our calculus test. I couldn't pick up on my own, I mean look at me." Kurt quickly lifted his arms. Blaine smiled because Kurt was not weak. He definitely had played sports or something when he lived elsewhere. "So anyway, he offered to help me carry it. His dad gave him a slip if you want to see it?" Kurt offered. He sounded so believable. The guard shook his head.

"You're fine. Go ahead." He motioned them to continue. Once they had walked a little, Blaine spoke.

"Perfectly played Kurt, perfectly." Blaine sounded impressed because he was.

"I take my craft seriously." Kurt explained. He smiled at Blaine in the dim light and then kept walking.

"And we arrive." Blaine announced. "I can't believe your aunt and uncle don't care…. About anything."

"Pity, I guess." Kurt turned the key and opened the shelter door. "Let's go." He said and began pulling the mattress down some steps.

"Whoa." That was Blaine's first reaction. The bomb shelter was a lot bigger than he had expected and Kurt had lined all of the walls with mattresses.

"The light's not that bright but hopefully some daylight will come in." Kurt replied as he placed the last mattress.

"So it's completely soundproof?" Blaine asked, ignoring what Kurt had said. He nodded.

"Well I've never heard you sing Kurt so why don't you use it first." Blaine took a seat on the concrete floor. He saw that Kurt had already moved the CD player down.

"As you wish." He curtsied and then put a CD into the slit. A few seconds later, it began to play music. A few seconds after that, Kurt's voiced chimed in.

_Look at this stuff_

_Isn't it neat_

_Wouldn't you think my collection's complete_

_Wouldn't you think I'm the girl_

_The girl who has everything_

_Look at this trove, _

_Treasures untold_

_How many wonders can one cavern hold_

_Looking around here you think_

"_sure, she's got everything."_

_I've got gadgets and gizmos a plenty_

_I've got whos-its and whats-it golore_

_You want thing-a-ma-bobs_

_I got twenty_

_But who cares_

_It's not big deal_

_I want more_

Kurt held the last note out and then relaxed his shoulders. Blaine stared in amazement. He'd never heard something so pure, something so pleasant. Kurt Hummel had left him speechless. He smiled helplessly at Kurt and began to clap. It was nothing like Katy Perry but then again, neither was Kurt. He was better.

Kurt laughed and then looked at the time.

"You should go, but lessons start tomorrow after school?" Kurt asked, making sure he had the right date.

"Sounds magnificent." Blaine said. Then he walked out the door without even saying goodbye. He knew he was going to dream well tonight with Kurt's magical voice ringing in his ears.


	6. One Can Only Be Tamed For So Long

Everyday, Blaine and Kurt walked to house 411 after the last bell signaled the end of school. And everyday, Blaine would listen to Kurt sing one of the songs in his enormous repertoire. And that night, Blaine would always hear that last note, as pure as any other, ringing in his ear as he drifted off into his subconscious. Sometimes it would follow him there, the sound weaving it's self in his dreams. Usually it just marinated in the back of his mind but it was always there.

Kurt was a performer. There was no denying that. He would happily display a planned out routine of dance moves and gestures only adding to his voice.

He was good and he knew it. What he didn't know is his companion was equally talented.

One thing Blaine never thought he'd hear is inevitably what came out of Kurt's mouth.

"Blaine. Your voice is…." Blaine clearly remembered the slight pause he took, searching for the perfect adjective. "… Breathtaking." He let out a laugh afterwards and continued searching through his CDs. Kurt had no idea what he'd just done. Never had anyone but his mother told him he was good at something, really good. And coming from your mother, it doesn't count. In reply to Kurt, only one word escaped his mouth.

"Thanks." Blaine punished himself inside. _Thanks? THANKS? That's the best you can come up with._ Kurt saw it as nothing special or different and he continued with his business.

Since they had built the studio (as Kurt called it) Kurt would hum under his breath or quietly singing, the words just reaching his pale pink lips A few months had gone by and no one had suspected anything. There was a feeling of accomplishment between the boys and as the year left winter behind and opened it's arms to spring, life began to hit them straight in the stomach.

"STUDENTS! STUDENTS! YOUR REPORT CARDS ARE BEING SUBMITTED FOR SORTING TODAY. JOBS WILL BE DECIDED WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS."

Blaine had almost forgotten about the future he dreaded so much and the announcer had just brought it to the front of his mind.

"Two weeks, huh?" Blaine said to Kurt as they packed their bags. You might be wondering what happened to Ed, right? Kurt offered him two bucks every week if he listened to a schedule that he made. Blaine and Kurt would have some time at their lockers and then Ed would come after. The system had worked well.

"Yup. Doesn't matter to me though." Kurt popped a piece of chocolate in his mouth. Somehow, he still had food. Blaine nodded. He forgot that Kurt was planning on getting out of Jenson as soon as he turned 18. His future seemed worse and worse the more he talked about it.

"Right." Blaine said, disappointedly. "You still have to play along, don't you?"

"Unfortunately. The worst part is going to be the spouse match-up and dance next month." Kurt slammed his locker shut and waited for Blaine.

"Oh I know… I barely know any girls." That was a lie. Blaine didn't know any girls.

"I don't care about that. I'm gorgeous anyway. Everyone wants me." Kurt joked but Blaine agreed with him in his head.

"Oh, then why aren't you excited? I mean, even I think it would be fun!" Another lie. Blaine swung his arm and smiled a horribly fake smile. Kurt laughed.

"I'm gay." Kurt said. "Now hurry up. You've been sitting at your locker for 15 minutes." He smiled.

"Gay? What does being happy have to do with anything Kurt?" Blaine laughed.

"Homosexual." Kurt said. Blaine looked confused. He tripped over a rock and Kurt couldn't help but giggle. "I like boys." Kurt finished. He looked at his feet as they hit the soil.

"Oh." Blaine said. Those three words were the best three words he'd ever heard and would ever hear. "Me too." The words escaped his mouth before he had time to think about them.

"Really?" Kurt's voice was quiet. He seemed like he was thinking. Neither of them spoke for a minute.

"Want to skip singing for today? Let's go by the stream." Blaine urged. He had already begun walking in that direction. Kurt followed.

Once they made it to the water, Blaine kicked off his tennis shoes and slid off his socks. He dipped his toes into the ice-cold water. Kurt did the same.

"So you have no idea what a homosexual is but you are one?" Kurt asked. He was still thinking about their conversation. Blaine nodded while he searched the ground for a smooth rock. "But how?" Kurt questioned.

"My mom…" He explained, throwing the rock into the water as he watched the ripples grow and eventually vanish. "… Well, it was this one time I came home from school…." And that's how Kurt heard the whole story of how Blaine learned that he was different. Kurt listened attentively the whole time. You could see the pain in his eyes when Blaine explained his injuries and the laughter when it was appropriate.

"Why did your mom come into Jenson anyway?" Kurt asked.

"I have no clue." Blaine replied as he dug his fingers in the dirt. There was a moment of silence after that but neither boy felt the need to speak. They both carelessly swung their feet in the shallow water and ran their fingers through the soft soil. Suddenly, Kurt felt a splash of cold water on his leg. When he turned, Blaine had his hands cupped in the water, preparing for a second blow.

"Oh no. You're gonna get it Anderson." Kurt kicked water right into Blaine's face. When he sat up, his soaked face was smiling. He laughed a slow, painless laugh.

"Truce?" He held his hand out to Kurt. Kurt smiled and reached out for it.

"Tru-" He was cut off by water flooding into his open mouth. After spitting it out, he stood up. Blaine did as well. They were both away from reaching distance of the water.

"I'm wet." Kurt stated.

"Me too Kurt." They laughed.

"We should dry off before we leave." Blaine nodded and the boys walked over to the sun. Kurt put his hands behind his head and lay facing the sun. Blaine sat with his legs crossed because he wasn't nearly as wet as Kurt.

"So what are you going to tell your assigned spouse, huh?" Blaine asked. He wasn't one to talk considering he would have to have a similar conversation.

"I'll just tell them what they need to know." Kurt breathed heavily and Blaine watched while his ribcage elevated and then fell again.

"Oh and thanks for giving me singing lessons. I never properly thanked you I guess." Blaine said, awkwardly.

"It's no problem. I like it. Plus, you didn't need it anyway. You're pretty good." Kurt curved his neck and winked at Blaine. He quickly sat up and looked at the boy sitting next to him. For a minute, Kurt just looked at Blaine, No obvious emotions on his face. Blaine sat perfectly still until Kurt looked away.

"Blaine. Do you want to help me with something?" Kurt looked at him again but this time he was smiling. Blaine, a little apprehensive, nodded.

"Sure. What is it?" Blaine used his hand as a visor to shield himself from the setting sun.

"I want you to help me get out of here. But not after schools over, before that, let's get this over with." Kurt's face was less than an inch away from Blaine's and as he spoke, his breath ticked the tip of Blaine's nose. _Kiss him_ Blaine thought. _Maybe he won't leave you if you kiss him._ Blaine had looked down and when he looked up again, Kurt's face was still close. Slowly Blaine leaned forward. Just as he was about to move in, Kurt stood up.

"So are you going to help me or not?" He said, holding out a hand to help Blaine up.

"You'd really leave me?" Blaine questioned. He had big puppy dog eyes. He was joking but Kurt thought for a minute and that made Blaine smile. He did care.

"This is about ME, not you." He laughed. "Now answer my question." He put his hands on his hips.

"Okay. I will help you, if you get me out too." Blaine said. Kurt looked at him and sighed.

"I can't do that." He replied. Blaine was confused.

"Why not?"

"Your sister. I'm not going to let you leave her." Blaine had completely forgotten about Tenny.

"You're right. But when she's all grown up and I do get out of here, I'm finding you Hummel." He poked Kurt's nose and Kurt squinted as he nose scrunched up.

"You will always be welcomed at my residence. " Kurt replied, jumping over to the other side of the stream.

"Good to know." Blaine said, following behind.

"We'll plan in the studio. And then I'll be out of here before we know it." The thought of it broke Blaine's heart. "Your homework is to brainstorm. See you tomorrow at school!" Kurt called back as he vanished into the trees.

"Wait!" Blaine shouted, but not loud enough. Kurt was already too far away. His voice was quiet, empty.

"I love you."


	7. Preparation

The next day, Blaine arrived at school as usual. He went to his locker and waited until Ed was scheduled to leave. Once he saw that the coast was clear, he cautiously twisted the lock, trying to remember his combination. Once he heard the familiar click, he opened the locker and unpacked. A few minutes later, Kurt came to his locker. His hair looked like a bird's nest and for all Blaine knew, there might have been one in there. His shoelaces dragged on the floor and his pants were full of wrinkles. Lastly, His shirt was barely buttoned, only four of the eight were done. Blaine however, couldn't complain about the last bit.

"You look horrible." Blaine said, still examining Kurt's new look.

"I saw it in Vogue. I thought I'd give it a shot." Kurt sarcastically replied. It took Blaine a minute to remember what Vogue was.

"Sorry." Blaine apologized. "But honestly, what happened?"

"My escape plan happened. I wouldn't let myself fall asleep until I had a foolproof plan. Let's just say I had a lot of diet coke." Kurt didn't even open his locker. Instead he rested his head against it.

"Aw Kurt." Blaine patted his head. "Come on, we have Spanish."

"No me gusta." Kurt replied and Blaine could help but smile at the fact that he could still make jokes.

At lunch, the boys made their usual routine of walking to the cafeteria and then quickly sneaking behind it, walking through the woods and eating in the clearing.

"I sure hope you brainstormed last night. Even though my plan is flawless, you might have some good assist." Kurt said with half a piece of celery in his mouth.

Blaine panicked. He had not brainstormed. He didn't want Kurt to leave at all so brainstorming his early escape wasn't to his best interest.

"Uh huh…." Blaine replied nervously. Kurt could sense him.

"You didn't brainstorm, did you?" Blaine shook his head.

"That's okay. As I've said before… my plan is perfect." Kurt was smug but that might be because of his fatigue.

"Simply brilliant, right?" Kurt urged after he explained his plan to Blaine in the studio that afternoon.

"Brilliantly simple..." Blaine replied. He couldn't understand how it had taken all night to come up with that.

"I know." Kurt smiled. "Good thing is there isn't much preparation. You're the only one who will notice I'm gone until the school says something. And all you have to do is pretend you have no idea where I am."

"What about your aunt?" Blaine asked but he knew Kurt already had dealt with her though. That was Kurt.

"One step ahead of you." He handed Blaine a piece of paper. Blaine unfolded it and read it aloud, mimicking Kurt's voice.

_Dearest Aunt,_

_I'm getting out of here. Thanks for everything. _

_Hugs And Kisses,_

_Your Kurtsie Wurtsie_

"Kurtsie Wurtsie?" Blaine figured that he would call Kurt that for the short time they have together. Kurt just smiled.

"Yes sir. Kurtsie Wurtsie."

"Alright, Kurtsie Wurtsie…" Blaine couldn't help but let out a giggle. "…How do you expect me to distract a guard while you climb over?" Blaine didn't feel capable of such a task.

"Say you saw someone trying to steal from the treasury or something…" Kurt didn't have much a clue either.

"Yeah, then I'll be a liar. They'll find out and I'm not going to jail again." Blaine crossed his arms and sat on one of the chairs.

"What if your _father_ helped us out?" Kurt suggested. Blaine looked up at him to stop him but he was too late. Kurt already had a pen in hand and was writing away. He had mastered James' penmanship from their last excursion.

When he was finished, Kurt handed Blaine the note.

_Dear whoever may be on duty,_

_I, James Anderson, would like to report a disturbance by house number 734. I am concerned and sent my son to deliver this letter for me. Please check it at once. _

At the bottom of the paper was the false signature of James although you wouldn't be able to tell it was fake.

"Do you think they'll buy it?" Blaine asked.

"I think they have to." The boys looked at each other. They both knew that if the plan didn't go exactly as scheduled, Kurt was going to be in the Jenson Jail until he died and Blaine might as well get a couple decades too. Escaping was not welcomed. Going through the process of leaving could take months though and Kurt didn't have that patience. Blaine wished he did.

"Wait a minute." Blaine said after they both had been sitting in complete silence.

"What?" Kurt asked. He was ready to get out of Jenson and it was obvious.

"The extra guard. What if he's patrolling the 400s that night?" Blaine looked nervous because he was. He was beyond nervous at this point. The thought of Kurt getting hurt or caught made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"I guess we'll just hope he isn't." He could feel Blaine's fright. "Maybe if I skip cutting the barbed wire then it will buy me sometime. A few cuts couldn't hurt, right?" Although Blaine didn't like the idea of Kurt climbing the barbed wire without any protection, he agreed. It was better than getting caught.

Soon it became time for Blaine to go.

"Remember, you and me are going to study for our science final tomorrow night so you need to sleepover." Blaine nodded. "And don't bring anything you won't need. We don't want any suspicion." He nodded again.

"See you tomorrow?" Blaine said as he walked out of the studio.

"See you tomorrow." Kurt reassured.

While Blaine walked down Jenson Street, he turned to look at house 411 every couple steps. He knew it would be the last time he could turn on his way home and say, "Kurt Elizabeth Hummel is in that house." He knew it and he hated it.


	8. The Last Stroll

Blaine's dad agreed easily to his studying with Kurt. It worked in both their favor considering if Blaine had stayed home, he'd be in his room all night because James was having business colleagues over.

As Blaine walked by his sister's room, he wished she could say bye to Kurt. He was nice to her and she liked him. The thought of her just learning that he was gone broke his heart. He almost knocked on her closed door to tell her but he knew that he couldn't. Kids have big mouths and there's still one day left.

When Kurt saw Blaine at school the next day, he smiled.

"I thought you might ditch me." He said, the smile still on his face. Blaine gave him a quick smile but couldn't sustain it for long.

"No. That's cruel." Blaine replied as he walked to Spanish with Kurt.

"Yes it is." Kurt nodded. They didn't speak again on their way to class.

Through the entire morning, Blaine ignored his teacher's words, letting them pass him by. His mind was too occupied with the thought of not having Kurt at school. As they reviewed for finals that were to come in a little less three weeks, Blaine wished he and Kurt were actually studying tonight. Solemnly, he walked to get lunch from the cafeteria and sat down in the clearing. He began playing with his food as he waited for Kurt.

"Hi." Kurt said happily as he walked over to Blaine and sat next to him.

"Hi." Blaine smiled. He figured if it was his last day with Kurt, he should make it fun.

"This is our last day here together, huh?" Kurt looked around the clearing where they've shared so many memories. Blaine nodded.

"Remember when I first showed you here?" He asked. Kurt nodded.

"How could I forget? Kurt The Magnificent!" He was using the same accents they had back all those months ago.

"Blaine The Brave." Blaine said, not to Kurt really but to himself. They both sat for a minute just remembering all the times.

"You know I'm going to fail my exams without you." Blaine stated.

"No you won't. If you do, I will never talk to you ever again." Kurt joked. His friend laughed.

"Please, that's impossible. I'm irresistible." Some of Kurt's cockiness seemed to have rubbed off on Blaine.

"I couldn't disagree." Kurt smirked at him. Blaine could feel his cheeks getting red and Kurt was looking right at him. _Kiss him Blaine. Kiss him. _Blaine tried to urge himself. But he didn't and he knew he would regret it. They had a normal lunch from then on, reminiscing and poking fun of each other.

"Oh wow. We're going to be late to class." Kurt said, looking at his iPod for the time.

"And I care so much." Blaine said sarcastically but he did get up and walk to class.

The afternoon seemed to go by slower than the morning but it too, finally came to a close. Blaine watched as Kurt only left a few things in his locker. His backpack was significantly bigger and heavier but no one would notice. They both knew that. Kurt walked slowly on his way home, taking one last look at everything. He wasn't going to miss it but he wanted to remember it. Blaine complied, keeping the same pace. It was a last for both of them. For Blaine it was his last stroll through Jenson with Kurt while for Kurt it was just his last stroll through Jenson.

Almost an hour later, the boys completed the walk, which is usually twenty minutes long. They walked into the studio to prepare for Kurt's great escape. As the clock ticked on, Blaine grew more and more nervous. Kurt was happy to escape and Blaine didn't want to rain on his parade. With just an hour left before they were to start, Kurt checked on last time that everything was ready.

"Do you have the note from your dad?" Kurt asked. Blaine held up the slip of paper. "Alright and I put the note to my aunt upstairs, right?" Kurt was beginning to get nervous and Blaine could tell.

"You did." Blaine reassured him. Kurt sighed and sat down next to Blaine.

"I'm scared." He admitted to his partner in crime. Blaine tried to be supportive.

"Better to be scared now than later." He smiled and Kurt hugged Blaine. His embrace was so tight and Blaine almost felt as if he wasn't going to let go but he did. Kurt kept his hands on Blaine's shoulders.

"Thank you Blaine. Thank you so much. How stupid would my time here have been without you?" He laughed but kept eye contact. "You are truly amazing Blaine. People might not tell you that but they all know it." Kurt ran his hands down Blaine's chest and put them on his own lap.

"It's time." Kurt said. The boys looked at each other and nodded. It's time.


	9. Execution

"Excuse me, sir?" Blaine tapped the shoulder of the officer who was pacing back and forth. He jumped, not realizing there was someone behind him.

"Hey! What are you doing up? It's past curfew." The officer's voice was still shaking.

"Um, I was told to give you this." Blaine held out the fake note. The guard snatched it from him and read it. Meanwhile, Blaine looked around to see if there was an extra guard. There was. He began to panic and looked at his watch. Kurt would run out in 6 minutes. The guard continued to read. _Not a smart one_ thought Blaine. He was getting very impatient when finally the guard spoke.

"Okay. I'll check it out." The guard folded the paper and slipped it in his pocket. "Now get back to bed." Blaine nodded and the guard walked off. Less than one minute and the extra guard was getting closer. He looked back at house 411 and the studio. The slight outline of a person moved in the darkness. He was getting closer to the lights on the wall and surely the guard would see him then. Blaine wanted to shout to Kurt and tell him but he knew he couldn't. He would have to hope that Kurt would see the guard and run. You could smell the suspense in the air as Kurt reached the light. He began climbing up the. Right as he slung his legs across the barbed wire Blaine screamed.

"KURT!" It echoed through the sleeping village. Someone shouted back but it wasn't Kurt.

"Hey you! Get to bed." Blaine sighed of relief. He hadn't seen Kurt. The truth was he hadn't seen Kurt yet. When Blaine had screamed, Kurt turned around and now it looked like he was coming into Jenson.

"INTRUDER! I WILL SHOOT YOUR LEGS AND THEN YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO RUN!" The guard was shouting and pointed his gun towards Kurt.

"No I'm not a-" Kurt was cut off by the sound of a bullet. He grabbed his stomach and fell over on the other side of the wall. The guard followed him and so did Blaine. The fall from the top of the wall was higher than Blaine had thought.

On the other side of the wall was a scene too gruesome for Blaine to look at. There on the dusty ground lay Kurt. He was grabbing his stomach, his hand full of blood. There were scratches from the barbed wire over his arms and legs too. Tears began rolling down Blaine's cheeks. He sat down next to his best friend.

"Kurt?" He whispered quietly. The guard was sitting 10 feet away, horrified. He looked at Blaine.

"I missed. I'm sorry." The guard said to Blaine. His voice was sincere but Blaine ignored him.

"Kurt?" He said again, this time a little louder. Slowly, Kurt turned his porcelain cheek and looked at Blaine. The concrete had rubbed off the skin on the other side of his face when he fell down. One single tear ran down his face, leaving a trail behind it. He smiled at Blaine.

"I made it out of this place, huh?" He kept smiling but his eyes slowly closed.

"I love you." Blaine said nervously, still smiling. But Kurt didn't hear him and he never would. Blaine knew he didn't, he knew that his best friend was dead. Lightly, he kissed Kurt's motionless lips.

"Is he de-eeaad?" The guard stammered. Blaine looked up and nodded. "I'm really sorry." The guard repeated. Blaine didn't acknowledge him though. He spent his last true minutes with Kurt silently, his head resting on his bloody shoulder.

A couple of minutes later, the guard came back with the head who was still wearing his pajamas.

"Blaine?" The head recognized him immediately. He sat up, with his cheek covered in Kurt's blood.

"Hi." He said. The head looked at Kurt's lifeless body.

"Is that a student?" He asked, his voice still strong and powerful.

"It's Kurt Elizabeth Hummel." Blaine replied. He stood up and leaned against the wall.

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel… why is that familiar?" The head mumbled to himself but Blaine heard.

"He read the poem in first assembly. He's in my grade." Blaine stated, avoiding eye contact.

"Right, right. Well you get him to the funeral house. I'm going back to bed." He pointed at the guard who began to pick up Kurt. The head was walking away.

"WAIT!" Blaine shouted. The head turned around.

"What?" He seemed annoyed.

"SOMEONE JUST DIED AND YOU'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO BED, PRETENDING LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED?" Blaine was furious. His only friend was gone and no one seemed to care. "IS IT JUST ANOTHER DEATH TO YOU? I BET WHEN YOUR OWN MOTHER DIED YOU DIDN'T EVEN CRY. YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY? BECAUSE YOU'RE AN EMOTIONLESS PIECE OF ROCK. AND THAT'S ALL YOU ARE EVER GOING TO BE. YOU'LL NEVER KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOVE SOMEONE. I'M EIGHTEEN AND I KNOW." Blaine took a deep breath and pointed at Kurt. "SEE THAT BOY RIGHT THERE. I LOVE HIM. I LOVE HIM MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THIS WHOLE WORLD AND HE'LL NEVER KNOW IT BUT AT LEAST I LOVED SOMEONE!" Blaine's chest collapsed as he finished screaming.

The head stood speechless in his pajamas and then turned around without saying a word. Blaine watched him walk around the corner and then ran back to where Kurt was laying. He was gone. All that was left of the scene was blood stained concrete

"Yeah, you did make it out Kurtsie Wurtsie." Blaine said to the air where his friend once lay. He smiled through his tears and looked up at the stars. "You did."


End file.
